Liberals bemoan a president who promised change but do not seem bemoaned enough to challenge him where it counts — for his party nomination. Perhaps the biggest factor that all but guarantees President Obama’s reelection is the lack of a threat from anyone in his party willing to run against him.
That factor alone renders the popular Jimmy Carter comparisons irrelevant. He faced an iconic Democrat, Ted Kennedy, who not only challenged Carter in 1980 but made a point of snubbing his party’s president once the primary race was over.
So how can unhappy Democrats pressure Obama to remain faithful?
Keith Olbermann suggests taking the streets. He’s right. If no Democrat is willing to stand in the primaries, this really is what’s “left.”
(“Countdown,” Current TV, 8/1/2011)
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20 Responses to Where is the Outrage?
Now on The Trail
WooHoo!!
Congrats, eProf, if i’m not mistaken I believe that might be a rare WooHoo for you.
I’ll repeat what I said at the end of the last post: My reaction to KO’s special comment tonight. He wants the American people to take to the streets and protest the continuing loss of democracy and the undercutting of the middle-classes and the poor. Why aren’t there more protests? he asks. We are witnessing the frog being cooked not by throwing it into boiling water but the slow increase in water temperature bringing about no reaction as the frog is, likewise, being cooked.
Americans have been lulled into thinking that government is the problem ever since Ronald Reagan used that as his mantra to the presidency. Just about every debate in the public square has been about how awful government is so much so that even the recipients of government programs (bad government but leave my medicare alone) now vote in opposition to their own interests over and over again.
The frog is being cooked without even realizing it.
Yes, woohoos are rare for me and just about everyone else west of the Mississippi River. But, it was nice, thank you.
Well, eProf, as an enthusiastic frog gigger on the Cumberland River while a kid I’ll never forget how those legs had enough stored energy to jump right out of the frying pan. So there is hope.
Eprof,
We get so few woo hoos out here.
To be clear, I was not in the least offended by your reference, I knew exactly what you were referring to.
No explanations or apologies necessary.
As for enchanted evenings, we have one going just now.
There will be no rain, but the light show is nothing short of breathtaking. Humidity high,no wind, clouds thick and full of energy.
My God what a sight.
You know that lock box idea for social security is sounding pretty good just now.As a matter of fact, that stiff, Al Gore is looking pretty astute these days.
Olberman still goes on too long, but hard to argue with his content.
Jace, moving right along. As old timers around here will tell you, I’ve been an Al Gore enthusiast since the beginning of Crawford’s List (the original name) as I used to bore the heck out of folks with my, “Run, Al, Run” mantra practically every day. It would take a lot of bad things to befall Obama before any Democrat would try unseating him. Two or three more capitulations and who knows?
Night all!
Eprof,
Good on you. Sleep well.
Jace
The frog analogies have got me thinking, as I too gigged for frogs and ate them as a boy, but never had them jump out of the pan . A few weeks ago I had roast goose at The Montgomery Inn in Dublin, Ohio.
My goose was cooked.
Who else’s goose is cooked for 2012 so far?
Bachmann? Nope.
Palin? Nope.
Huntsman? Not even started the oven yet.
On the other side, they all have cooked their geese.
I really hated RFK for jumping in after McCarthy did so well in New Hampshire in 1968. RFK cooked Clean Gene’s goose.
No Dem excitement at all for 2012…ain’t nobody to challenge Obama. Hey, the ’08 debates were kinda crazy but a lot of fun to watch and blog about here.
eprof2 loved Al and I loved Dennis Kucinich. What a ticket that would have been!
i was for al….I was for hillary….i always pegged mr o as another empty chicago suit.
but still….hope he turns out ok.
cause he’s going to be there awhile.
What’s green and goes 120 mph?
A frog in a blender.
—tommy chong
It is all about money, there is no money to challenge Obama in the democratic party.
Barry Ritholtz just posted a great rift on the current state of the stock market In it he had this political comment.
Kinda sums up my view of things
Jack
Maybe KO shouldn’t have used his electronic soapbox to undermine Hil’ry and to promote his choice (although he is a journalist & doesn’t vote, unless it’s one of those moments when he decides he isn’t a journalist), Barak Obama. Maybe he should take to the street & lead the parade, if he’s serious.
PUMAs knew the truth about Obama; lefties continue to be shocked for some reason.
Looks like it’s Obama who has gigged the froggies on the left, to stay with your theme.
(Still happily vegetarian, though I’m more of a popcicle-tarian during this heatwave.)
Labor’s Discontent With Obama Surfaces Yet Again
Sam Stein
More from the morning read
More and more it looks like we are a nation of speculators
Commodities casino makes losers of us all
Jack
Refused to click on the headlines this morning.
Yesterday was just too Goddamned depressing.
NEW THREAD!
I suppose the real question is, since we are going to have Mr Obama as president for the next six years, how can we help him be successful while having much of that success be his active support of liberal and progressive and traditional Democratic causes?
NEW THREAD